I think I may have mentioned before that when I was little I basically grew up eating cream cheese on toast. I still absolutely love it although I try not to have it now since I avoid dairy. Cream cheese was one of the first cheeses I quit because I read an article about how processed it was, and it kind of freaked me out. I never found a vegan cream cheese option in the stores that I was quite happy with either. The vegan versions are just as processed and bad for you and usually have even more un necessary ingredients than normal cream cheeses. This is usually the point where I submit to trying things myself. Being such a big cream cheese fan it did take me a long time, and I mean years, to find a healthy vegan cream cheese recipe that tastes authentic enough for me. Most vegan cheeses add a lot of garlic and onion powder and although they can really add flavour I feel like they are only added to mask the fact that the recipe doesn’t taste anything like cream cheese. Until recently I have been making a cashew based cultured cream cheese that I put up on my blog a while ago. http://hazelandcacao.com/easy-vegan-cultured-cream-cheese/ The recipe comes from Miyoko Schinner who is a vegan cheese expert. I still love this recipe and it tastes very authentic however I actually really struggle to find plain soy yogurt in my area all the time and I also don’t like waiting for 2-3 days for the cheese to culture.

I decided to attempt an almond based cream cheese that I adapted from a youtube channel called “Cooking with Plants” I honestly did not have high hopes for the cheese at all since I had already spent years looking for cream cheese recipes that were good enough for me but I was drawn in by how simple the cheese was to make and was more than pleasantly surprised by the outcome! The cheese is very authentic tasting. When eaten on its own the texture is a little gritty/nutty but once you spread it on some bread the texture is not noticeable anymore and the flavour in my opinion is even more authentic then the cashew one I usually make. I think if you soaked the almonds before using them it would help to give a creamier texture but I am afraid soaking the almonds will mean the cheese will go off sooner since soaked almonds tend to go mouldy. If you do not have a powerful blender you may need to soak your almonds before hand in order for your blender to cope. I will admit we actually finished the first batch of this cheese in 2 days because it was that good so I can not tell you how long it will last in the fridge! I happened to make bagels that day ( hence the photo) so as you can imagine cream cheese and bagels is all I really felt like eating until they were all gone. The recipe only makes a small batch which you can easily whip up and get through in a few days so I don’t think the cheese going bad will be too much of a problem even if you soak your almonds before hand.

The original recipe uses garlic powder which I omitted since I wanted to get a real taste for the cheese without it being overpowered by garlic but you can add any flavourings you want and get creative. As for me, I have always preffered plain cream cheese. I never went for the funny herbed up ones anyway so I enjoy it just as it is.